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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28011519">A Noble of Surprising Constitution [Support C]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenSkyAndSea/pseuds/BetweenSkyAndSea'>BetweenSkyAndSea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Wyvern's Rose [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>C-Support (Fire Emblem), Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fluff, Garreg Mach Officers' Academy (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Original Support Conversations (Fire Emblem), Slice of Life, Support Conversations (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:00:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28011519</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenSkyAndSea/pseuds/BetweenSkyAndSea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Urgh,” Claude placed a hand over his heart like she’d wounded him. “Seems you’ve uncovered my scheme. Fact is, I’m no good at this stuff,” he said bracingly, his face painted with a look of utter despair. He lifted a dirty frying pan helplessly in front of him, letting foamy suds drip into the sink. </p><p>That pushed her buttons in a way even she didn’t expect. </p><p>“Well, it just so happens you’ll never be good at something if you refuse to try,” Dorothea bit.</p><p>--</p><p>What if Claude von Riegan and Dorothea Arnault had support conversations?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dorothea Arnault/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Wyvern's Rose [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Noble of Surprising Constitution [Support C]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sorry I’m late! Lost track of the time.”</p><p>Claude von Riegan stumbled over an apology as he crashed through the doors leading into the narrow kitchen tucked at the very back of the dining hall. Dorothea didn’t even bother looking up at the partner her new professor, Byleth, had assigned for the week.</p><p>His demeanor was entirely different from the other nobles here at Garreg Mach. Negative rumors swirled about him, but Dorothea knew better than to blindly believe any of that. She needed to vet him herself now they were outside of class together.</p><p>This boyishly handsome young man was gunning to be the Duke of the Alliance, and that could bode well for her own future. </p><p>She pressed her lips into a thin smile that barely concealed her frustration, and waved a soapy, glove-clad hand. He was so late, in fact, that Dorothea had already completed half the task on her own, damp dishes and plates stacked high on the counter beside her.</p><p>“Hi... Claude, was it? You know, it’s considered to be in poor taste to keep a lady waiting.”</p><p>“Brrr. Chilly in here,” he feigned a shiver as he secured the ties on his apron. She couldn’t help but laugh despite her annoyance. He reached for a pair of rubber gloves and flexed his fingers into them. They fit his large hands perfectly, versus the empty fingertips on her own pair.</p><p>“Okay, what’s left? I’m happy to take over, it’s only fair,” Claude said, extending his hand in front of her.</p><p>She looked up to find an earnest desire to help in his vivid green eyes.</p><p>“My, my! <em> Such </em> a gentleman!” Dorothea praised cloyingly as she plopped the sponge into his outstretched hand. When in doubt, resort to sarcasm.</p><p>He sniffed at her snark and reached blindly into the hot, soapy water. “I try.” </p><p>“Plates, glasses and silverware are done. A couple of platters are left,” she explained dryly, reaching for a clean, soft dish towel, “and I left the pots and pans to soak.” </p><p>“Gotcha.”</p><p>As she began to dry the mountain of dishes she’d already scrubbed clean, he interrupted her cloud of annoyance with a barrage of conversation.</p><p>“The class was buzzing with excitement when Teach said you were joining us,” he offered as a peace treaty. It was quite flattering to be asked after, actually. </p><p>“Is that so?” was all she offered, but was secretly pleased. The usual fare was a braggart talking about how many kilos of produce his land yielded or some similar droll subject.</p><p>“Of course. Those in the Golden Deer house are all sorts. Artists, merchants, mercs and mages. The star songstress of the esteemed Mittelfrank Opera Company is a wonderful addition to our class.”</p><p>Before she had a breath to respond, he continued: </p><p>“Tell me, Dorothea. You’ve already accomplished so much. Is this your retirement plan?” he teased, plucking one of the aforementioned platters from the depths of the sink.</p><p>Claude was kind, colloquial and curious--in her experience, a rare combination. Unlike most of the handsome dullards she interacted with, he was also very perceptive. She had to be careful with this one.</p><p>She focused on polishing the plate in her hands to a high shine before stacking it with the others. </p><p>“Magic <em> does </em> interest me, <em> somewhat </em>, but in the effort of being honest, I did enroll at Garreg Mach to find a suitable match. A commoner doesn’t have many chances to get ahead in this world, and a woman… fewer still.”</p><p>The Riegan heir nodded, swirling fresh, hot water in from the faucet. The bubbles grew high. “I can respect that.”</p><p>Before he could follow up, she asked, “What about you, Claude? Why did you come to the Academy?”</p><p>He swept the sponge over the serving platter in broad strokes before he answered. “I’ve fought to be where I am. I was led to believe that I had no chance in this world. But not long ago I discovered I had noble blood, and a crest,” he paused for a moment. He was choosing his words carefully. “I have to figure out the way the Alliance works before I can change it.”</p><p>Strange choice of words. He was <em> from </em> the Alliance… wasn’t he? She let it go, but the rumors Lorenz spouted to anyone who would listen began to make a shred of sense. </p><p>“You’re <em> still </em> an heir, though,” she pointed out. “House Riegan is powerful, isn’t it?”</p><p>“They’ve held the seat of the Alliance for quite some time now, yeah.” The class leader nodded, but shrugged it off. On some level he still took his position for granted, which was mildly disappointing. But he also didn’t seem to claim the House as his identity.</p><p>“I want to see a world where anyone, anywhere can succeed, regardless of who they are or where they come from,” he concluded. </p><p>Color her intrigued.</p><p>“...You’re not what I expected,” Dorothea admitted, holding her dishtowel at the ready as he ran the sponge over the platter a second time. </p><p>“Is that right?”</p><p>Although she was used to the wiles of men, something about the charming smiles <em> this </em> one kept flashing at her made her guard drop <em> just </em> a teensy bit.</p><p>“Disappointed?” he teased.</p><p>“No, not at all. It’s refreshing to have a real conversation instead of being talked at by some noble about they’re in search of a bride of suitable social status.”</p><p>“Ah. Lorenz?”</p><p>They both had a laugh at their classmates’ expense. </p><p>She came down from the laughter with a disappointed sigh. Here he was, wiping the large porcelain platter for a third time.</p><p>“I appreciate your candor Claude, truly, but you’ve been stalling since you got here.”</p><p>She saw a brief flash of embarrassment flicker in his eyes, but he immediately played it off.</p><p>“Urgh,” he put a hand over his heart like she’d wounded him. “Seems you’ve uncovered my scheme. Fact is, I’m no good at this stuff,” he said bracingly, his face painted with a look of utter despair. He lifted a dirty frying pan helplessly in front of him, letting foamy suds drip into the sink. </p><p>That pushed her buttons in a way even she didn’t expect. </p><p>“Well, it just so happens you’ll never be good at something if you refuse to try,” Dorothea bit.</p><p>Ferdinand had been bad enough with the constant showboating. Lorenz’s hemming and hawing when they were assigned to weed the yard had been horrid. Linhardt’s uselessness with <em> everything </em> was near unmentionable. Perhaps he was just as bad as the others, after all. </p><p>She’d had enough.</p><p>“Let me guess. This kind of task is beneath you, little Lordling?” she sneered.</p><p>Dorothea braced herself for the imminent lofty excuse, hiding behind an unimpressed smile. She took the platter away from him to dry it once and for all.</p><p>“No! Not at all,” he denied incredulously, dropping a pan into the sink with a splash that threatened to spill over the sides. “You’ve got me all wrong. I was raised differently than the rest of these nobles. But… I will say, these kinds of chores never interested me, so I never bothered,” he offered honestly. He rooted around for the pan. Another splat of water hit the floor, soaking his boots and puffy trousers. “That, and I’m, uh, kinda bad at it.”</p><p>...There it was. Such excuses made her blood boil. </p><p>“Oh, to be born into such a wonderfully stable, ‘boring’ life, ignoring things that are inconvenient,” she said.</p><p>“...I was late because I was researching.”</p><p>“Uh-huh,” she responded absently. </p><p>“Rather, I tried. I want to give any new experience my best shot. But there wasn’t really anything in the library about keeping an orderly kitchen, only cookbooks.”</p><p>She stared at him for a moment, waiting for a punchline. </p><p>“...You can’t be serious.”</p><p>The casual, cool guy was really a nerdy noble who was <em> genuinely </em> trying to do better? It was a delightfully unexpected discovery, but her temper wouldn’t let it go. No. Not yet.</p><p>”Not everything is in a book,” she snapped.</p><p>“Yeah… I…” he laughed awkwardly, and wiped his forehead with the back of one wrist. “I realize that now.” He sighed heavily. They continued in silence for a moment. </p><p>“I’m not against hard work, but uh… can you show me how to do this? Please?”</p><p>She had never interacted with a noble who acted like this one. Her frustration with him dwindled away like water down the drain. He seemed like a regular, helpless boy.</p><p>He presented the frying pan, but despite his best efforts there were still burn marks. She sighed.</p><p>“This one isn’t finished. Use the bristle brush on pots and pans first, <em> then </em> the sponge.”</p><p>His ears turned red while she continued to simmer, wringing the dish towel in frustration. He offered it to her again, perfectly clean this time. “Better. Thanks.”</p><p>An hour later than scheduled, they were done, with every last dish, glass and pan put in its place for the morning’s breakfast service.</p><p>“Thanks for your help,” he said as they emerged from the dining hall. They’d stayed so late, the sky had painted itself lavender and decorated itself with stars. “I won’t let you down next time.”</p><p>“I’ll hold you to that.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I woke up at 7am on a Saturday morning to slam 350 words of a random Doroclaude scene in my notes app, then couldn't shake the compulsion to finish it. </p><p>Leave a comment if you enjoyed this fic! If at least one person enjoys it, I'll consider investing time in writing more. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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